Their paths crossed in 1970. My mom was 15 and my dad 16. My mama lived in Orangeville, Ut and the Deason's were coming from Oregon and moving into a house right down the road. When my mom first caught wind of my dad she was sitting with her best friend (my aunt) Dawn, on her porch. My dad and my Uncle Mike were driving past and my mom turned to Dawn saying "them are the UGLIEST boys I've ever seen" and they sat and giggled. Little did they both know those UGLY boys were their husbands and the love of their lives.
Here's where the cute part begins. My dad first saw my mom in their high school hallway and he turned to his buddy and said "That's the girl I'm going to marry". And THAT was where their love story began.
My dad played football and baseball. He was the rebel child but also the town goon. (You should hear some of the stories) My mom was the all american sweetheart, perfect grades and GPA, on the drill team, and the top of her class. They lived two complete different lives, but they fell in love.
My mothers family is strong in the LDS religion. My dad had never heard of a mormon. My Grandparent's had a really hard time swallowing the idea of my dad. The rules were: My mom could talk on the phone to my dad (and anyone else for that matter) for a total of 5 minutes. My Grandpa would set a timer and the moment it went off he would hang up the telephone. My mom wouldn't even get the chance to say 'goodbye'. Also, my mom could see my dad once a week. If she walked down the road to go to Dawn's house, and she stopped to talk or say hello to Mark, my grandparents called that their 'date'. Another, I'm pretty sure my mom had like a 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock curfew.
My Grandparents were strict. Rules were rules and when you were wrong, you had punishments. Because of how strict they were, my mom was an angel. Up until the age of 15, my mom never questioned my grandparents. But my daddy brought a whole new her :)
In time, my mom and dad were sneaking out, breaking rules, and falling in love. They went to high school dances together and high school activities (bonfires, assemblies, games, etc) My grandparents did their best to diminish it. What they didn't see, is that my dad was a hero. He stood for good, he always rooted for the underdog, and he was the best thing that ever come into my moms life.
At the age of 16, they ran away. My dad's parents had been divorced and both remarried. My grandma Durret lived in Ojai, California. And that's where they were headed. They didn't get far. At a bus station police were waiting and took my mom back to Orangeville. She was COURT ORDERED to obey her parents. (hilarious right?!)
1983. My dad graduated a year before my mom and he set off to the Navy. He came home on a leave and in a taco bell, he asked my mom to marry him. They were married the June after she graduated, and my mom was free, headed off to the east coast with the man of her dreams.
They've been married ever since, well, a few slight bumps in the road. But this is a true love story. And it's my absolute favorite.
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